My search for the right body/painter seems futile.  I have approached all I can find and not one can do it this winter.  I had one offer of "if you can get all prep done to primer, I will paint it for 5k if I have time". I would spend double that if the situation were right, but nobody wants it, and only one really looked at the car.

The plan is now to do it myself. After thorough inspection, it will require a trunk pan (or a patch). The supports are good and the floor is good. and the trunk weatherstrip channel needs attention and very little else.  Once stripped, things may change but nothing serious. I will ask for help from here and CFB Gagetown auto hobby club members. NOBODY loves the car as much as I do, and I cant imagine anyone dedicating the time to unseen areas as much as me.

 My fear is that the car will never see the road again, (I know of several dismantled cars that should have been left alone, as I bet we all do) but to get what I want by May 2010 I have no choice.  I want to thank Brett, Ames/NOS for the assistance and parts. I'm sure I'll be back for more.

I dont 'settle' when it comes to repairs, so I'll do it 10 times if I have to. On the positive side, I wont be bored this winter. I'll post pics as I go, and am very receptive to advice/suggestions/tips. 

 

-- Edited by Turn2Stone on Sunday 15th of November 2009 08:45:39 AM

I have taken 3 cars apart, and used gel paint remover... Didnt have to do any patching  (2 Arizona 1 Florida car)  I took them to my painters, and they prepped them, and I took them home after paint..    I installed all the new weatherstripping carpet, fuzzies etc and they turned out nice   The 3 different painters loved doing the prep and paint, and didn't have to remove or install trim (very time consuming)   sooo That being said, with your free labor, you should be able to get the auto hobby guys to get a nice paint job   Mark all the stuff, and you will be so pleased with all your work    I enjoyed doing mine... C2

I've said the same thing about nobody wanting to take my money. It's so frustrating. The only reason my Chevelle is getting done this winter is because the painter used to own the car, and knows the kind of shape it's in. As for the auto hobby club on Base, as far as I know it's been closed for at least a year. Have you checked out any paint/body shops in Saint John or Moncton?

I didnt know that the club was closed. I dont need the facilities, and some of the guys are still around.  But, the frustration left quickly and now i'm excited to get at it, and my bank account will thank me too.  I'm confident that I can get it painted once its ready. (I have a painter in St Catharines if necessary), but I see that as the easy part.  Luckily the interior is great, and the engine bay wont be touched until everything is back together. It would make more sense to do both at the same time, but I am intimidated enough with the body and trim for now.

Having an inside track like you do, seems to be the way that they get done around here. I'm not sure how much I could trust a 'walk in - turn key' facility anyway, so I guess it works both ways. I prefer to use brains over braun on my repairs requiring finesse, so I'll get it done. I have a great starting point, and I am lucky to not have a bigger list of repairs.

There's always the Guild.
I'm sure they wouldn't turn you away!

The Guild of Automotive Restorers.

I think it's money better spent if you invest in the proper tools, take a welding course or auto body course at a local community college and do the work yourself. You'll have the satisfaction of doing it yourself and have learned a few skills along the way. Eastwood has some good autobody tools. Todd

Then there is the real budget paint job. Check out this 57 DeSoto:





Looks pretty good eh? The owner has a grand total of $160 invested. He painted the car with diluted Rustoleum that he sprayed himself. He said the result is not show but looks more like OEM paint. He diluted it with low odour mineral spirits.
Not for everyone but it is another option..

Todd

I like!

Wow, paint looks excellent.  Top notch driver is all i'm after.

That Monte Carlo looks amazing. It would fit perfect beside the GP. My obsessions tend to last 3-5 years but start out as neverending. I am at the start of this one, and keeping my eye out for a project that needs more work. I'd like to drive this one forever, and build one up from the frame. A 67 GTO that needs saving would be nice.

you should really try the rustoleum, it works great. Ive used tremclad spraypaint and did my whole car and no one believed me at first it was spraybombed. I am going to use rustoleum next summer and use a real gun this time. Its all in the prepwork as they say.

i have the article from hot rod mag i think, it did work!! They did a ford falcon, lots of sanding but cant beat the price.

When I had my Studebaker I tried the Tremclad method on a spare fender. It worked very well! It is time consuming though. You must mix the Tremclad to a milky consistency using mineral spirits (it must be mineral spirits). You also must use those white foam rollers. You can get them at home depot. If I remember correctly you roll it on, let it sit for a couple of minutes (blow some of the bubbles), then roll over it with the roller NOT dipped in paint. You let it dry and wet sand it smooth between coats (sorry-I forget the grit). After 3 or 4 coats you do the final wet sanding, gradually working up to the finest paper you can get. You then buff it out with polishing compound. I was cheap and tried turtle wax compound (you cant screw up with this stuff-it barely cuts). How did it look? Well, I used gloss black and the best way to describe it is it looked like "original paint" to me. It had that old time shine, not like basecoat clearcoat. I'd try it again on a car if I didnt need to get an exact colour (say black or white)



-- Edited by 69Laurentian on Wednesday 18th of November 2009 06:11:53 PM

I wouldn't mind trying it on a panel.
It would have to be black.

But the next question is, how did you prep the panel?
If I sand some of it down to bare metal, Can I use aersoal epoxy(since I dont have a compressor to shoot it), then high build primer, than roll the rustoleum/tremclad on?

Also, when you were finished, were there any fineline scratches?

-- Edited by mike667 on Wednesday 18th of November 2009 06:52:14 PM